This invention relates to a method for thermal transcription of an image outputted by a video printer or the like. The present invention also relates to a support for transcription and an ink ribbon employed therefor.
An image from a video scanner or a video camera, captured into a thermal sublimation type video printer and printed out on a printing sheet, can be handled in a similar manner to a silver salt photograph and a variety of pictures can be easily enjoyed subject to promulgation of such system.
Attempts have also been made for enjoying this system in a manner different from the silver salt photograph. Thus a new article of commerce obtained on transcribing an output image of the video printer on an arbitrary support for transcription, such as a cup of pottery, or a so-called mag-cup, has also been developed. If, in a meeting hall, a still video picture shot by an electronic still camera is transcribed on a mag-cup etc. on the spot, the article would be improved significantly in commercial value.
For transferring an output image of the video printer to a support for transcription, a reception layer is required on the support surface for fixing the dye since the dye cannot be fixed if simply it is attempted to transcribe the dye to the mag-cup surface.
Excellent weatherability is required of the reception layer. To this end, an epoxy based resin has been employed.
The epoxy based resin is a thermosetting resin and, if this resin is coated and printed on e.g., the mag-cup surface, the reception layer excellent in weatherability may be formed.
With the above-described image transcribing method, the properties of the reception layer affects the properties of the picture and hence it has been desired to improve these properties.
If, for example, the reception layer is coated and formed using various resins, the dyeing step is carried out using a hot air drying oven or the like. However, a problem has been raised in connection with discoloration of the reception layer due to e.g., difficulties in controlling the temperature.
On the other hand, if the reception layer is formed of the epoxy-based resin, transcription takes a lot of time.
If a sublimable dye is to be transferred to the mag-cup having the reception layer formed of the epoxy based resin, the transcription time continuing for about three minutes is required for a press working temperature of 170xc2x0 C.
In case of mass production, the shorter the time of transcription, the more significantly the productivity is improved. However, the time of transcription of three minutes cannot be said to be short. In particular, if a still video image shot with e.g., an electronic still camera is transferred to the mag-cup or the like and sold on the spot, since the processable quantity is governed by the time of transcription, the time of transcription as long as three minutes is extremely undesirable.
On the other hand, although the reception layer formed of e.g., the epoxy based resin, is itself superior in durability and weatherability, the dye transcribed thereon is simply affixed on the reception layer and cannot be said to be sufficient in weatherability such that it is susceptible to color fading or discoloration. In addition, the reception layer is insufficient in resistance against solvents or chemicals, such that the dye image is easily vanished on contact with e.g., an organic solvent.
The reception layer usually has its surface smoothed for improving the transcription efficiency, such that only the surface reflecting an extraneous light is produced. The result is limited usage due to constraint on the appearance and a demand for a variegated appearance laid in case of a building material cannot be met sufficiently.
The present invention is proposed for overcoming the above-described inconvenience.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for transcribing a picture whereby a transcribed picture of high quality may be produced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for transcribing a picture and a support for transcription whereby a picture of a sublimable dye can be transcribed in a short time.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for transcribing a picture whereby not only the reflective surface but also a variety of surface states can be realized and a variety of demands in connection with appearance can be met.
The present invention provides an image transcribing method for transcribing an image of a sublimable dye onto a reception layer comprising coating a resin on the surface of a substrate for transcription for forming a reception layer, drying said reception layer in an electrical oven for forming a support for transcription, stacking a printing sheet carrying an image of a sublimable dye on the reception layer of the support for transcription and pressuring said printing sheet onto the reception layer under heat for transcribing the image of the sublimable dye to the reception layer.
By employing an electrical oven for drying the reception layer, precise temperature control becomes possible, such that the reception layer may be prohibited from being discolored and a transcribed image may be produced. Simultaneously, foreign matter may be prohibited from being mixed during drying by a hot air drying oven to prohibit the lowering in the product quality.
If, for coating a reception layer, a cup formed of pottery is employed as a substrate for transcription, the resin is applied by a spray gun as the cup is reversed for forming the reception layer.
In particular, if the resin composed mainly of an acrylic resin, the drying temperature is set to 170 to 180xc2x0 C., the viscosity of the resin is set to 43 to 52 seconds in terms of the Ford cup density, the discharge pressure of the resin from the spray gun is set to 35 kg/m2xc2x10.01 kg/m2 and the distance between the spray gun and the substrate for transcription is set to 100 mmxc2x15 mm. The thickness of the reception layer formed as described above is set to 10 to 50 xcexcm. This enables a uniform reception layer to be formed.
After transcribing the sublimable dye image to the reception layer, a transparent film may be formed on the reception layer.
As the transparent film, an acrylic film, for example, may be employed. The transparent film may contain a UV ray absorber. By embossing the transparent film, a variety of different surface states may be realized.
If, for example, an image of a sublimable dye outputted from a video printer, is transcribed to a support for transcription, the image of the dye is simply deposited on the reception layer formed on the surface of the support for transcription, so that the image is poor in weatherability or resistance against solvents or chemicals and color fading or discoloration is incurred.
By layering and bonding a transparent film such as a film of acrylic resin as a cover coating on the reception layer, the transparent film operates as a protective layer for significantly improving weatherability and resistance against solvents or chemicals.
Although the resin constituting the reception layer is optional, a reception layer composed of the epoxy resin and the acrylic resin is formed on the surface of the substrate for transcription for constituting a support for image transcription.
In this case, the second reception layer composed mainly of the acrylic resin may be layered and formed on the first reception layer mainly composed of the epoxy resin, or alternatively, a reception layer containing both the epoxy resin and the acrylic resin may be formed on the first reception layer.
Although the epoxy resin is superior in durability and weatherability, it is insufficient in transcription speed when used as a reception layer.
Although the acrylic resin is superior in transcription speed, it leaves much to be desired in weatherability.
By simultaneously using the epoxy resin and the acrylic resin, the merits of the two are exploited in a complementing manner for achieving compatibility between the transcription speed and weatherability.
As an ink ribbon for forming an image of the sublimable dye on a printing sheet, an ink ribbon comprised of plural pigment containing layers of different colors arrayed in a pre-set sequence on a strip-shaped substrate, is employed. In this case, it is preferred that a lubricant such as silicon oil be contained in the pigment containing layer printed for the last time or the lubricant containing layer be formed next to the pigment containing layer printed for the last time.
If, in an ink ribbon comprised of plural pigment containing layers of different colors arrayed in a pre-set sequence on a strip-shaped substrate, a lubricant is contained in the pigment containing layer printed for the last time or the lubricant containing layer is formed next to the pigment containing layer printed for the last time, the lubricant contained in the pigment containing layer or in the lubricant containing layer is transferred and deposited to the printing sheet surface when the image is printed by pressuring the ink ribbon against the printing sheet for printing the image.
If the lubricant is deposited in this manner to the printing sheet, lubricity may be accorded to the printing sheet by the lubricant. In addition, when the printing sheet is layered on the support for transcription, such as a mag-cup, air bubbles intruded into the space between the printing sheet and the support for transcription tend to be discharged to outside so that creases are less liable to be produced. Thus a satisfactory image free of non-transcribed portions can be re-transferred to the support for transcription without the necessity of rubbing the printing sheet surface with a spatula.